Carmelo Anthony had many NBA friends hoping he would return to the court, including some powerful ones in LeBron James and Dwyane Wade, but neither the Los Angeles Lakers nor the Miami Heat ever came close to signing him before the Portland Trail Blazers snagged him two weeks ago.

The perennial scorer revealed he never asked either of them for a favor, a line he's not willing to cross.

“As far as friendships, I would never put business along with friendships,” Anthony told Shams Charania of The Athletic. “I would never do that. I would never reach out to a friend and say, ‘I need this. Can you do this for me?’ when it pertains to a situation that may not be in their control. It was frustrating being in my position, but I just decided: control what you can control.

“I got close friends on a lot of teams that I would never reach out to for a favor. It’s just not who I am.”

Melo has a lot of pride in his game and feels he belongs in the NBA by merit, not through the means of favors. Getting signed by the Lakers or the Heat would means taking a roster spot the team hadn't previously planned for, which would result in a fiasco that wouldn't help anyone involved.

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Anthony finally got the call from the Blazers, but it had been so long that Anthony started to wonder whether they were just feeling the waters or ready to jump in.

“I got the call saying, ‘Portland is interested, what are you thinking?’ I just said, ‘Look, I’ve been in this situation before. Just tell me when it’s something we can really make happen. Tell me when it’s real,’” said Anthony.

“It really wasn’t any conversations. I was continuing to go on with life and hanging with my fam and doing my other business ventures. Then Dame (Lillard) called me. CJ (McCollum) called me. Zach (Collins) called me. Everybody, a lot of people texted me and called me. But it had to be something that I felt comfortable with and that they felt comfortable with. We got on the phone, got comfortable and went from there.”

So far, Anthony is averaging 16 points and 5.3 rebounds per game in his four outings with the Blazers, finally returning to Rip City for what would be his first practice since signing with the team.